Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Company Limited
HWD's history is as long and as rich as Hong Kong. The company was established in 1863 to acquire docks and repair yards at Whampoa, on the Canton River in China, and the then newly constructed dry docks at Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island. In 1866, the company became the holder of the first Hong Kong business registration certificate issued under the new Companies Ordinance.
The company ran one of the largest dry-docking, ship repair and shipbuilding operations in the Far East for over a century, survived two World Wars and, at its peak, handled an average of 25 vessels per week. In 1960, it was servicing the ships of no fewer than 23 nationalities and 9 navies. HWD first ventured into property development in 1969. In 1970, the company acquired a majority shareholding in China Provident Company Limited (CP), long established as a leading wharf and warehouse operator on Hong Kong Island. CP's three Western District warehouses were redeveloped between 1972 and 1978 as residential / commercial estates. The wharf and warehouse complex situated in North Point was redeveloped into today's Provident Centre.
 In 1977, HWD merged with Hutchison International Limited (HIL) to form Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL) and HWD's business became predominantly property-oriented with an expanded management structure that included marketing and estate management divisions, while the container terminal business was transferred to Hongkong International Terminals Ltd.
A landmark in HWD's history was reached with the signing of the Conditions of Exchange for the Dockyard Crown Leases with the Government on 14th December 1984. This formally closed an era almost as old as Hong Kong itself, during which the Hunghom dockyard had established a respected and worldwide reputation as a ship repair and shipbuilding enterprise. HWD subsequently launched the Whampoa Garden Project and with HWL Group's commitment to invest almost $4 billion in one of the territory's largest private residential / commercial developments, this represented a resounding vote of confidence to the future of Hong Kong. Hutchison Properties Limited
HPL was incorporated in March 1971, as a wholly owned subsidiary of HIL. Shortly afterwards, it became a publicly quoted company following a placement of shares for public offer.  The company immediately acquired the major property interests of HIL and its trading subsidiaries. These included godown and industrial buildings, Watson's Estate, a multi-storey godown office complex at North Point, and several quality residential apartment blocks and houses.
Up to 1975, the principal activities of HPL and its subsidiaries were the ownership of properties for letting, provision of property management services and real estate agency. Thereafter, property development came to the fore with the redevelopment of a site at Kwai Chung into two 20-storey residential towers on a 2-storey commercial podium, completed in 1976. Another more ambitious project was the development of the Sea Ranch holiday resort at Yi Long Wan on Lantau Island.
| 
Under a Scheme of Arrangement, HPL's minority public shareholding was acquired by HWL in 1980, making it once again a wholly owned subsidiary. By the end of that year, to rationalise and consolidate the property investment and development activities of the HWL Group, the resources and operations of HPL were merged with those of HWD to form a unified property structure, the Hutchison Whampoa Property Group.
